Kristin Horan

I learned how to be more effective in my lectures with how I phrase/ask questions to my class. I also learned that certain questioning techniques can be more or less effective in different situations and how to determine the best way to move forward in a lesson without shutting out certain types of students.

Creating a comfortable and supportive classroom environment has always been important to me. I try to show students in many ways that my appreciation and care for them does not depend on how easily they grasp the information. 

I liked the section that gave examples of how to turn closed questions into open ones. I think it is super beneficial to start rephrasing as many closed questions as I can. I am also super guilty of answering my own questions if it gets awkward, and I appreciated the insight on how to handle that.

I feel the most excited about what I took away from the notes on procedural questions. I have found that there is certainly a lot of apprehension among my students (high schoolers) when asking them to share any questions and confusion they may have. I always try to be approachable and allow time for them to do this privately, but this lesson gave me some ideas on how to do that publicly as well, without stressing students out.

The main thing that stood out for me as an excellent tool for me is breaking down my lectures into smaller increments. I have noticed that some days (especially when introducing a new project/topic) I talk to my kids too much/for too long. I think it is a great idea to break up my lectures with small demos or activities in-between to keep them engaged and increase memory retention.

My main takeaway from this section is that your relationships and interactions with your students are just as important and fundamental to their success as your content. Establishing a mutual respect and understanding for one another will help a student feel seen, cared for, and comfortable in your class, allowing them to really dive into the content.

I like the idea of keeping a checklist for what you want to accomplish per class. I am comfortable with Syllabus development and lesson planning, but I do find myself to be a bit scattered and forgetful in the moment. Making a checklist will likely really help with my day to day organization.

I learned that being successful in teaching includes a lot more than just understanding and relaying your subject matter. Students need to feel safe, respected, and engaged in order to maximize their learning and intake. This is why a student that may be struggling in one class can excel in another, even when both teachers are experts in their field. Teaching and learning comes down to modeling, reflecting, and working with your students.